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cloudyskiiees · 2 months ago

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with the rest of wrong try again plotted out in full, i’ve started plotting out an idea for my next possible long fic. and it’s not a mystery so i can post about it now in case i don’t end up writing it in full!!! yippie!! so here’s my alenoah based superhero au :)

(under the cut cuz it’s a massive post)

i’ve been working on this idea slowly over the last threeish months!!! im happy with the ideas so far and wanna share what’s up to see if ppl are interested :)

the fic would be called “The Masked Mentalist,” in reference to our protag, Noah! he’s considered a villain in this au by society. alejandro is considered a hero.

here’s the characters and their powers i’ve got so far! still subject to change if needed :)

Noah: Villain. “The Masked Mentalist” is his given name by the city, although he doesn’t actually wear a mask. Noah has the powers of “mental manipulation,” stretching to about four different tiers that take more energy depending on how much effort it takes to manipulate the brain.

1: Audio hallucinations. He has a “trademark” of making the world go completely silent for his victim before he attacks. He frequently drops random noises or screams into his opponent’s head to throw them off. It harder to mimic specific voices, which is why he opts to throw ppl off rather than emotionally attack them. Easiest of his powers.

2: Visual hallucinations are harder, but it’s the one noah is the best at. He’s great as messing with people’s appearances, making them see him and other people who may be around as others or sometimes just in horrifying situations. It’s also very simple for him to make someone think they’re trapped in walls or things like that, easy to create objects. He still struggles to completely change the look of an entire location however, which is why he opts to fight in open areas where fake visuals are easier to conjure.

3: Emotions are harder as well, and it can be tricky. he’s very good at pulling emotions from others such as rage or grief, as they’re very easily overpowering emotions. It’s simpler when his opponent is a more emotional/vulnerable person, so he shys away from emotional manipulation in fights usually, especially when he doesn’t know an opponent very well.

4: Memories are hardest, especially if they’re more recent. It’s fairly easy for noah to go and change someone perception on a childhood memory, as it was likely distorted already anyways. The clearer the memory the harder it is to manipulate.

As you can see, all four of these powers have to do with the mind. The way people see or hear things, as well as feel and remember. Noah’s powers allow him to attack any of those in a person.

There’s also technically a fifth one, which Noah figured out to do by himself.

5: The way he figures out how to hypnotize people is through memory AND emotional manipulation. Altering memories and then yanking on certain emotions to pull through, can help him get people to think and even partially act the way he desires. It’s exhausting, and incredibly rare for him to use.

Noah is able to keep his identity hidden by simply altering his appearance to whoever he is fighting. He usually seeks out people when alone, and does his best to not hurt innocents, despite what the public thinks. Everyone who’s fought him/seen him in action describes him differently. Most people aren’t even sure if he even is a “he,” because he makes himself look so drastic sometimes.

He occasionally works with a partner, although they don’t consider themselves to be aligned in general when it comes to crime.

Kaleidoscope is notoriously known for her random crimes and activities. No one can quite figure out her goal or intentions, and so she’s dubbed a vigilante by most.

This of course, being Izzy! When Noah fights with her, he occasionally helps mask her identity from others. She’s a bit reckless, but the two have a history together. A traumatic one at that!

Izzy’s powers are deterioration. She’s able to break/take things apart/crumble things with her mind. Her powers can be as simple or as drastic as she desires.

(She met Noah by saving him from someone attempting to hurt him. By completely destroying their bones from inside their body. Noah was both horrified and grateful.)

Moving on! Alejandro, a “superhero” in our story.

Alejandro doenst have superpowers. At least not in the way our other characters do! Everyone simply assumes he does.

Alejandro is clairvoyant, which is considered a gift, rather than a superpower. His family exploited his talents as a child, so when he was old enough, he fled to be on his own. Nowadays he uses his predictions to help others, being able to foresee certain disasters and small issues. His powers waver depending on their severity, and he has a habit of undoing a certain villains work without even knowing.

He’s dubbed “The Good Samaritan,” when first seen saving people. Over time, the city began to think he had superpowers, and his name changed to “The Physic Samaritan.” Alejandro avoids media and press as much as possible, seeing as it was all he was used to as a child, so no one knows any different. This does not serve him well when real super-powered folk begin to see him as a threat.

Onto our two real superheroes! (so far!!)

Lashawna is the cities main superhero. She’s been protecting citizens for about two years before Noah makes his debut as a villain. She has very standard telekinesis, and is about the most hero looking and sounding hero out there. Her name is “The Golden Hero,” later changed to “The Golden Woman” when she gains a sidekick. Everyone adores her!

Courtney is Lashawna’s sidekick, appearing with her mentor only a few months before Noah shows up. “The Golden Girl,” her powers being one of information absorbing. She’s able to quickly learn anything she needs, simply by skimming words or touching an object… or person.

There’s a bit of a roadrunner scenario for a while between her and Noah, where she’s simply trying to grab him in someway or another, as the action would reveal his real identity to her. Of course, Noah is able to easily evade her, as her powers have little to do with physical superiority. (She’s still incredibly strong and fast. It’s Courtney we’re talking about here.)

Before I talk about our real villain of the story, I’m gonna discuss some plot points!

-Courtney feels incredibly undervalued and overlooked. She thinks if she can manage to reveal the Masked Mentalist’s identity, people would finally start to give her more credit. Lashawna tries to help her calm down, but she’s very fixated on her mission.

-Noah wants control. Deep down he has good intentions, as he’s attempting to dismantle the upcoming “Heroes Program,” starting up in his city, but he loses sight of it for a while. Alejandro becomes a bit of an obsession for him, as he somehow has the entire cities trust while barely being in the public’s eye. It drives him crazy.

-Izzy has so much depth, but acts insane as a defense. She and Noah had very similar upbringings due to their powers, and a fuckton of issues that now stem from it. She hides her pain by acting as though she’s invincible.

-Noah and Izzy have a very deep bond. They truly trust each other more than anyone else, even their civilian friends.

-Team e-scope is very much present! Owen and Eva are humans, and are still best friends with Noah and Izzy. Neither have any clue their two best friends are well known criminals.

Alright actual plot time. And backstory for our super-powered characters!

As usual when it comes to superhuman realities, the powers come from genetic mutations. No one is too sure how it started, but superpowered people have been showing up around the world for the last twenty-ish years.

Children found out to have powers were, of course, taken by the government. At first it was out of fear, but after a few years, the public began retaliating. “Programs,” were then opened, and while it was presented as a choice for parents, it simply was not. If your child had powers and was found out, they would be forced into a program.

Lashawna and Courtney were both placed into a program as young children. Both were released after a number of years to become superheroes. Most children taken are not released.

Both Lashawna and Courtney lack memories from their time in the program. They are conditioned to be perfect superheroes, deemed “safe” for society, due to their powers.

Again, as expected, these “programs” are just ways for scientists to study the mutations in the children. At first there was an attempt to stop it, but nowadays, there’s more of a goal to simply replicate it. Children are treated like animals.

Based on your power, and your behavior, there’s a chance to be released as a hero, such as Lashawna and Courtney, as an example that these programs are a good thing. It’s a way to keep people happy, and keep the more dangerous powers under wraps, at least until they can find a “cure,” or a way to create the gene themselves.

Because each person is different, each mutation acts differently in a person, explaining all the different powers seen. Super powers are still incredibly rare, although they’re widely accepted as a truth nowadays. Two powers acting exactly the same has never been recorded.

Noah and Izzy were never put in a program.

They were smart kids. Noah realized his powers early on in his childhood, and was terrified. Stories of powers had been shown in the news by now, and he wanted nothing to do with it.

His mother discovers it on accident after a year or two of Noah being aware. He panics and attempts to erase her memories of it, failing miserably and only hurting himself in the process.

She promises to keep him safe, just as horrified as he is at the idea of losing her only son. It’s a terrifying childhood for Noah, constantly having to be on the lookout, never being able to openly use his powers, something that so quickly became such a huge part of his identity. He turns to subtly using his powers in public, able to help bring more money and such home for his family. He becomes incredibly talented with his powers as just a teenager.

Izzy never told a soul. She’s had more accidents with her powers than she cares to speak about. She learns of her powers a bit later in childhood, but still before becoming a teenager.

A ten year old accidentally dissolving someone’s skin from their hand when being picked on is a traumatic experience for anyone, but even more so when she kills the other child out of fear. She flees the scene, and loses her shit. She quickly figures out she has a dangerous power, and being just as smart as Noah at such a young age, hides it completely.

She had much less control over her powers for a number of years, being scared of herself.

It isn’t until she sees a man pressing someone clearly struggling to a wall in a dark alley she truly uses her powers for the first time, and makes her first friend. (This friend being Noah, of course.)

Yes very dark backstories for the sillies! They have an insane trauma bond.

With their backstories, you can kinda gather why Noah wants to take down the programs starting up again. They’re much more public this time, and that worries him. He knows nothing good can come from children being forced into such a program, even if he was never in one himself. Izzy is more than willing to help him out for the most part.

The actual plot of the story, of course, is alenoah. This being said, let’s talk about that!

Noah wants Alejandro’s influence on others. Wants the social power the “superhero” holds.

He and Izzy devise a plan to get that influence on their side.

To keep things relatively brief, they corner him, and Noah is able to successfully uses his created hypnosis power on Alejandro, simply getting him to trust Noah, as a civilian.

As soon as the deed is done, he and Izzy pose as his worried friends, claiming he’d fallen and hit his head. When Alejandro questions who they are, Izzy immediately pipes up with “He’s your boyfriend silly!” and Noah. Just. Has to roll with it. He can’t risk changing the narrative so quickly for the boy with the currently muddled memories, and he also can’t berate Izzy right in front of Alejandro. So he agrees.

The two discover after a little bit that he actually is not a superhero, and lacks powers in general. This pisses Noah off greatly, thinking his work was all for nothing. He continues with his plan nonetheless, seeing as no one else knew Alejandro didn’t have powers. That could be an advantage.

Alejandro gradually puts the pieces together over time, never fully recovering his memories, but being able to see through the fog Noah placed over them.

Everything is going pretty well, even with the residual feelings both boy are gaining as they pose as a couple. That is until the real villain of the story shows up.

Duncan! His powers are the ability to create weapons out of thin air, his trademark one being flying knives. The weapons disappear as soon as they hit a target, only being created by his mind, and usually shown as a faint green color. (this is a working idea! still not 100% on it, but i definitely want him to have a weapon related power.)

He was in a program as well, ironically, the same one as Courtney. He was not released, he escaped.

Being dubbed a “dangerous power,” Duncan was set to live the rest of his life out as a lab rat. Of course, being Duncan, he did not like this fate! He’s one of the few children to ever escape, and the only one know to come back as a supervillain.

He’s angry. He’s angry about everything, and with everyone. He’s especially pissed off with Courtney, who he believes simply abandoned him. Courtney doesn’t remember who he is.

No more details for now! (Both because I haven’t planned out enough 100% to post about, and some of it is just for the story!) But I hoped you guys like my silly AU ramblings! I’m having a good time with this idea, so lmk if it’s something you’d like to see more of in the future :)

#total drama #alenoah #tdi fanfic #total drama island #tdi alenoah #tdi noah #tdi alejandro #tdi courtney #tdi duncan #tdi lashawna #superhero au save meeeee #this took forever to write out yall #but i hope you like it #:)

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howtofightwrite · 1 year ago

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Does Ser Arys Oakheart’s performance in The Queenmaker in AFFC (killing a handful of men and jumping clear of his palfrey before being swiftly dispatched by Areo Hotah) suggest a decent amount of martial competence on Arys’ part, in your view?

I’m going to make George R.R. Martin fans angry again and say, no. However, this is because I don’t feel any of Martin’s characters (throughout his work) really demonstrate any degree of martial competence. A lot of Martin’s characters aren’t supposed to possess any martial competence, but even the ones who are meant to don’t have it. Their “martial competence” is roughly the equivalent of action figures being angrily smashed together. For me, his fight scenes/battle scenes are the weakest part of his writing and I tune them out. Martin heavily focuses on “ironic” surprises and subversions of expectations like in the scene with Arys Oakheart, where everything is going well and then the character is just randomly and unceremoniously offed.

Boom. Goodbye.

“Like they would be in real life!”

I’m going to imagine someone yelling that because I’m sure someone, somewhere wants to.

Look, unlike Starke, I read A Feast for Crows and I genuinely have no memory of this character. They have been memory holed. They are gone. (Which is wild because I remember random minor character deaths from a lot of other major and minor fantasy properties that I read as a tween ages ago.)

The thing about reality is that real people are also capable of the following: Strategic and tactical awareness, long term strategic planning, working in unison with their fellow soldiers, and, yes, that includes knights in the Middle Ages. Knights in the Middle Ages might’ve (sometimes) been wealthy bastards, but they had to be functionally aware of violence and its impacts or they weren’t knights for very long.

Martin does not understand how armies and professional combatants function, their purpose, or their place in maintaining order in a feudal society. The irony is that politics are not his forte. His combat sequences read like they were written by someone who spent a great deal of time reading original historical accounts and not enough time thinking from the perspective of the people committing those gruesome atrocities. Make no mistake, medieval warfare was far, far more gruesome than anything you’ll find in Game of Thrones and the most terrifying part is the reasoning behind those atrocities was actually sound. Once you’re past the shock value, GOT is fairly comforting because the majority of the time no one makes sense. There’s a moral lesson hidden in the undercurrent ready to bludgeon the audience when they least expect it and all the violence works from that perspective, and all of it is written very specifically with the audience’s reaction in mind. Martin doesn’t seem to care how it works both on the technical front or in the utilization of violence to deliver narrative catharsis, he cares how the audience will react.

His violence doesn’t feel good, which is his intention, he doesn’t want it to feel good, but it also doesn’t feel bad. The violence just sort of exists.

One of the pieces of tragedy that is fundamentally important is a sense of foreboding. In fiction, death flags aren’t necessarily bad. In a tragedy, they’re necessary. Character death doesn’t need to be surprising to be meaningful. In fact, death is often more meaningful when the audience knows it’s coming. Whether it’s because they want the character to die or because they don’t want them to die. Their death creates narrative catharsis. The catharsis releases the tension, it feels good. Satisfaction through tears. When the audience and the narrative knows death is coming, it creates tension. If you invest early, the tension builds, and builds, and builds until it pops. The trouble is that, one way or another, the author has to invest in the character for that to happen. The surprise can be how the character dies, the manner of their death, and even who kills them, but not the fact they die. Shock value is sudden. The reason to use shock sparingly is that it lacks a lasting payout and eventually the audience acclimates. Too much shock obfuscates the narrative importance of a character’s death and shortens the long term impact of their loss. The impact of the death ends up as sudden as the death itself. Here, then gone, then forgotten.

In a well-structured tragedy, it doesn’t matter whether the audience cares about the character who dies or not. It helps, but the focus of the impact is on how it affects the other characters, how that loss is felt, and the way it’s internalized. An observation that’s always stuck with me is when I was in college studying Shakespeare, and my professor told us that Shakespeare structured his tragedies and his comedies the same way. They’re the same until the fourth act, and it’s the characters’ decisions leading into the final crisis which ultimately decides whether the story will end happily or tragically. All Shakespeare’s characters are important cogs in his play (including the bear.) When one of them goes, the narrative and the characters feel it. If a character is never important to the story, then the impact of their loss can’t be felt.

Martin’s characters don’t fight smart. They don’t fight cleverly. They don’t really fight stupid either. They fight with the combined equivalent of a single brain cell failing to function harmoniously. Probably the standout sequence for me that demonstrates this point is the Battle of the Crab from House of the Dragon. They had two dragons, a beach, an isolated cave system where their enemies were hiding to get away from the fire. They had corpses, and they had tar. And what didn’t they do?

Set shit on fire.

Smoke. Cave. Smoke. Cave. Smoke. Cave. Smoke.

The easiest and most low energy plan in the world that should be obvious to anyone who has ever cooked in an enclosed space. While this is a great way to signal that your characters suck at warfare, the characters involved were supposed to be the ones good at it! People being burned alive as they got smoked out of a cave is more gruesome than what actually happened and would have demonstrated the power of the dragons a lot better. Instead of, you know, the mighty House Targaryen being outwitted by… a cave.

If the dangers of dragons could be mitigated by a cave, people would just live in caves and not castles like they do on Pern.

Thank you for listening to my fanwank.

(No, the presence of saltwater would not have, in fact, saved the pirates. However, the Targaryens could have tarred the driftwood, set it ablaze, and let the tide carry it inside in addition to setting fire at every entrance like real military tacticians. Which shouldn’t be a reach given that half the army was made up of sailors.)

(They could’ve also used the crabbed up bodies for this with the added bonus of it being extremely horrifying, smelly, and gross.)

(We’re not talking about the Crab Army.)

(I mean it!)

-Michi

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#house of the dragon #game of thrones #literary analysis #how to fight write #writing advice #writing reference #writing tips #michi answers

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vigilskeep · 4 months ago

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I know these are very different games, but do you have any advice for dragon age enjoyers (obsessives) starting to play bg3? I bought it for the vibes but am struggling with understanding the lore and the game mechanics/combat. Although the vibes still are pretty good

hmmm. i had the advantage of being secondhand familiar with dnd so the world and combat system was pretty familiar to me...

top advice: explore the whole hotbar (or that hateful wheel consoles have, ig) and make sure u know all the options u have for ur actions and bonus actions. a character’s stats (str, dex, etc) are only valuable on even numbers, respec all ur companions to even numbers as soon as you can. rest often, there is no ticking clock or punishment for doing so, it will restore ur health and spells and especially early on you will miss out on a lot of cutscenes if you don’t. but honestly in general bg3 especially on lower difficulties is a very forgiving game. it’s designed for people who don’t necessarily have it all figured out to be able to beat it

lore wise you mostly have to understand you’re in one of the most Generic Fantasylands of all time. there aren’t really the hard lore rules or the large scale social, political and religious conflicts of something like dragon age, because it’s designed to be a sandbox with all the familiar toys for you to make stories with, rather than to tell a specific story. it just wants you to have an adventure. so i guess instead of trying to figure out the world as a whole, take each area and conflict simply as it’s presented to you? for a choice-based game it’s extremely black and white, in my experience

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desos-records · 2 years ago

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alright let’s talk about Lockwood & Co vs Adults

(mostly about the show, I started the books before the show came out and I’m not done, be nice)

Lockwood tries so very hard to act older than he is and he essentially Had To after losing his family. We aren’t told the specifics, but he doesn’t seem to have any adults in his life. Or many people in it period. George has only known him for a year, Flo used to live with him but hasn’t for at least a year if not more, and Kipps is. well. Kipps.

But other than that he seems to have been alone: he’s the one who takes care of the business and the finances, finding new clients and recruiting new agents (he has a mortgage and insurance and he can’t even drive yet). It fits with the overarching theme of the older generation not just failing the newer one, but exploiting it too. Lockwood was abandoned by the generation that was supposed to take care of him (on purpose or not)--just like all the kids of his generation, George and Lucy included.

It’s a little simpler when it comes to George and Lucy. They both left their families by choice; they chose to be the mature ones, to do what they had to so they could feel safe and at home. George left parents who loved him, but didn’t understand him. Lucy left a physically abusive mother who exploited her for money. They’re both mature in very concrete, measurable ways that are natural extensions of their characters. George cleans and cooks and handles research. Lucy is emotionally mature, holding both boys (and people in general) accountable for their actions and making her able to pick out incredible nuances in emotion (of both the living and the dead).

But Lockwood’s maturity feels a little more like play-acting than the others. Partly, I think, because he didn’t get a choice. He’s been functionally an independent adult for god knows how long. He dresses in suits and is entirely too formal (in the books it takes forever for him to stop calling Lucy ‘Miss Carlyle’). But you can tell that it is definitely an act. His tie and trousers are too short, his coat is too big, and, god bless him, he wears the most beat up pair of sneakers I’ve ever seen.

His interactions with actual adults become a flashpoint. It’s most obvious in his interactions with adult men (partly just because most of the adults in the show are men), who he is trying so hard to look and act like. But in every case, they call him out on it and he’s reminded how young he is and almost always in a way that hurts.

The most obvious are Fairfax, Winkman, and what’s-his-face with the gold sword and guyliner, who are trying to kill him. In all cases, Lockwood can’t physically overpower them (Fairfax and Guyliner have guns, Winkman has an electric chair) and his words don’t mean anything to them. And Guyliner is even more dangerous because he knows his parents, knows something about the story behind Lockwood’s armor.

But what’s more interesting are the adults who aren’t trying to kill him.

Barnes picks apart the arguments Lockwood throws up in defense of himself and his agency, not with posturing, but with genuine (although rather harsh) concerns for their safety. For Lockwood, Barnes is a Captain Hook figure, but Barnes acts more like a disgruntled school principal than anything else. He’s working to protect a whole city full of kids that are, by necessity, thrown into harm’s way. And you can see it when Lockwood says that Barnes doesn’t like them much and it throws him off-guard.

The DEPRAC agent at the auction tells them to leave not just because he thinks they can’t handle it, but because they shouldn’t have to

Jesus, you’re children

Yes, he’s aggressive and antagonistic about it, which only makes Lockwood bristle more. Lockwood steps towards him trying to act with authority, even threatening, but all the agent does to break his armor is grab him hard by the shoulder and push him back. But despite that, he is trying to protect them. And he dies to protect them. It is the only instance of someone truly seeing them for what they are: kids. Not agents or weapons or meal tickets.

But it’s jarring. Lockwood can’t process any of that and that’s not his fault. In the world we’ve seen so far, Barnes and the DEPRAC agent are an anomaly. Most other adults don’t care whether they live or die (so long as they’re useful). Lockwood has every reason to believe that every adult is an obstacle at best and a threat at worst.

And it’s painful. All of it. And a little too close to home, this story of children only valued when they’re useful.

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #george karim #lockwood netflix

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ask-one-orion-pax · 2 months ago

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#orion pax #tf one orion pax #transformers #maccadam #tf one #transformers one #ask orion pax #ask blog #ask rules

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hedgehog-moss · 1 year ago

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Do you have any advice on picking books for readers with limited time? I love to read, but in the past couple years I've been dissatisfied with almost everything I've read and I've purposely been trying to pick a variety: obscure, best-sellers, internet-recs, vintage, recents and I can't seem to pick well. I know the key to finding more good things is to read more quantity, but I've only got so much free time and can only read so fast.

Oh I feel you! There was a whole period of my life when I was desperately trying to find some alchemical formula to ensure that most of the books I read are good-to-great rather than okay-to-good. I had this scientific process where I tried to log a lot of details about the books I read and then look at the numbers year after year to find a common denominator. Is it a matter of reading more, or is it reading more older books vs. recent ones, male vs. female authors, books from my to-read list vs. impulsive reads, books recommended by friends vs. books I find myself? etc. etc. I made line graphs.

In the end the only factor that seemed to correlate with how many good books I read in a year was the number of unfinished reads, so the one piece of advice I have is to not hesitate to give up on a book you're not enjoying. I read multiple books at a time so it's easy to see if there's one that I keep neglecting in favour of the others; and I get most of my books for free or very cheap (from my local library, or OpenLibrary or Zlibrary, or secondhand bookshops where they're like 50cts apiece, or swapping books with friends), the ones I buy new are mostly books I've already read & enjoyed, so I don't have qualms about giving up 20 pages in if I'm not feeling it.

Other than that, I've kind of made my peace with the fact that finding a good book is a mysterious serendipitous process and most of the books I read will be just okay, plus a few bad ones and some great ones.

That said if most books you read end up being unsatisfying rather than at least okay, maybe you're not sure what you're looking for? It helps to identify what you want from a book at a particular time (fun escapism, learning more about a given topic, immersion in a specific atmosphere and if so, which one...) I tend to start a new read with a precise idea of what it would take for this book to be satisfying, e.g. "rn I feel like reading about someone's quiet daily life, maybe a diary or letters, set in a place or context I don't know much about, without turmoil or tragedy" or "a story set in the 17/1800s with flowery prose, interesting female characters, focused on intricate social shenanigans rather than romance or adventure" etc, so it allows me to narrow things down and eliminate potential reads where too many criteria are missing.

And I like to read a few 1-star goodreads reviews—some prefer to focus on 3-star reviews which are more balanced; personally I figure, if the people who hated this book the most cite reasons for disliking it that aren’t dealbreakers for me, that’s a good sign. And if the worst reviews cite stuff I'm actually looking for right now ("too long, too many digressions, long-winded prose, too quiet / not enough action", etc) then it’s a book that comes recommended both by 5-star and 1-star reviewers :)

#ask #(@ la française qui m'a envoyé un message ce weekend; je t'ai fait une réponse assez longue que tumblr a mangée 😭#c'est stressant pour tout le monde ce qu'il se passe en ce moment; n'hésite pas à m'envoyer un message privé si tu veux discuter <3)

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inverswayart · 2 months ago

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Assorted thoughts on Florianne de Chalons design (and some other stuff)

So in my previous rambings on Orlais fashion I was, among other things, extremely befuddled by how Florianne’s dress stood out from all established trends we saw in Orlais fashion, and in the end left it without much interrogation. But now, once I actually played through WEWH and saw her in action, i think i have some more thoughts about it

So in that post I also complained that dresses somehow went from very high collars with big ass ruffles to plunging necklines without any kind of transitional phase - and now, looking at Florianne big slightly Elizabethan-esque collar, I wonder - is it the trace of that particular fashion? Of course, it’s kinda hard to say since the dress is unique to Florianne - it might as well be her personal fancy or just a costume element (remember, the ball in Halamshiral is supposed to be a masquerade ball, not just any party).

I’m also wondering how exactly it is constructed - the collar itself seems very structured (and it would need to be to stay so upright) but the back of the overdress it’s attached to seems very loose and drapey? And (at least according to concept art) it’s also not supposed to touch her back, so unless there’s some sewing technique I’m not aware off I’ll have to chalk it up to enchantments (tho i guess it would be in-character for such high-ranking Orlesian noble as Florianne)

Another gripe I had with Florianne’s dress were her sleeves - loose and wide with no trace of cuffs we see at almost every kind of Orlesian dresses in-game. It seemed completely out of place, until I noticed that this kind of sleeves does actually appear in-game - just not on dresses, but on mage robes, the kind Grand Enchanter Fiona wears (which is a port of Bethany’s robes from DA2)

So, leaving obvious doylist explanations aside, we are presented with the fact that the Grand Duchess had her very important dress for a very special occasion made so a big part of it would resemble the attire of the current public enemy faction… Which is, no matter how you look at it, is a Statement. Perhaps it’s a subtle way to hint on her alliance with Corypheus? Or, on the contrary, a way to scandalize the court to pull attention away from said alliance? (Either way, I really wish Vivienne had something to say about it…)

And, at last but not least, let’s talk about Florianne’s hair.

Her often modded-away undercut is very prominent feature of her character design, in contrast with both her cousin Celene braids and her brother Gaspard completely shaved head

For some reason, it always stood out to me, even tho it’s just one of the default hairstyles in CC, but I think I kinda figured out why.

So, hear me out. As per Inquisition in-game presentation, one can observe that Orlais, the higher echelons of power in particular, has a curious aversion to hair - specifically facial and scalp hair, but it wouldn't be a stretch to assume it extends to body hair as well. Throughout the game, we see many nobles and noble-adjusted Orlesians sport big headdresses akin to turbans and chaperons, especially on women’s evening dresses - where headscarfs are neighboring plunging and even risque necklines in a setting where Orlais’ historical counterpart, on contrary, usually allowed and encouraged women to show off their hair in elaborate hairstyles and decorations.

What’s even more curious, it seems like this fashion is pretty recent - just 10 years ago Leliana was telling us about elaborate hairstyles that could fit an entire birdcage inside, and throughout the DA2 we see that Orlesian nobles and tourists aren’t eager to cover their heads up. So, what could possibly make such a big shift happen in a few years between DA2 and Inquisition? (And yeah, I know that the real reason that both games were developed in terrible crunch and developers didn’t have much time/energy/desire to spend more time on making unique hair for a bunch of npcs who would appear for 1-2 quests max and even with turbans and masks most of vanilla hairs and mustaches would probably clip in one way or another so they left everyone shaved, but, once again, i’m more interested in watsonian explanation rather than doylist one)

What I think happened is that after the DA2 finale (chantry explosion and the whole Kirkwall mess) Chantry had to tighten the screws on its clergy and controlled territory asap as to not allow another blow to its power - and so the Empress’ court had to scramble to show how pious and faithful they are, with one of the more popular ways of doing so being imitating chantry sisters and mothers’ headpieces and general modes of dressing by covering their heads up and abandoning extravagant hairdos of past decade.

Simultaneously there’s a civil war unfolding, which a) brings military influences into fashion, esp men’s fashion and b) increases Chantry’s standing and influence - if you are unwilling to show loyalty to Celene or Gaspard, you can always turn to Chantry, which makes it’s pressure on especially women’s fashion even stronger. So in the end we have men sporting militaristically smooth shaved scalps and faces and women piously styling their hair flat, with both wearing elaborate scarves and turbans on top of that (because they are still, after all, orlesians)

Ball at Halamshiral is a clear illustration of that - Gaspard, despite once having luscious mustache (as seen in Masked Empire), is completely bare-faced not counting the mask, Celene’s hair are tightly braided but not covered (deliberate move to show how her progressive stance is and close she is to most of the empire in contrast with Gaspard, who’s only backed by a fraction of army)... and then there’s Florianne - with hair cropped short and shaved, but not fully, and also forgoing any head covering - in a sense a middle ground between Celene and Gaspard… And at the same time she literally refuses to conform to either masculine or feminine mode of action (in an in-universe Orlesian sense), showing it off, and, in conjunction with her mage-influenced attire, it creates quite, dare i say, punkish look - at least, for orlesian court standards. If it was intentional, then you might read it as a bit of a foreshadowing on her role in the royal plot, and if not - oh well, I still choose to read it that way since Orlesian fashion is a mess and there’s no one to stop me./hj

(One thing I’m glad didn’t make it to the game from concepts (even tho by itself it’s pretty great) is the train cause there’s literally no other character having it anywhere in all 3 games and i would’ve have no idea how to read it)

#tag for words #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dai #dragon age chantry #orlais #fashion #dragon age meta #florianne de chalons #gaspard de chalons #celene valmont #once again joyfully overthinking over bunch of pixels #i just finished my courses and i'm kinda in an artblock #so untill it passes i can at least write stuff

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iluv-b-127 · 23 days ago

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Rowdyruff Boys On The Spectrum? [THEORY/HEADCANON]

his is such a stupid theory/headcanon but I just get the vibe for numerous reasons. Yes I know they’re four year olds and four year olds can do random things +most disorders like autism aren’t figured out until the kid is older. But screw it im projecting a tad being autistic myself so I’m putting it out there.

We all know the RRB definitely have PTSD so I’m not going to get into that one. I’m more gonna focus on autism and adhd.

Off the bat a big thing I can mention is stimming. The boys stim quite a bit. Mainly Butch and Boomer. And it’s usually triggered when they’re excited and can’t stay still or control said excitement. Biggest examples being The Boys Are Back In Town. Lots of stimming there.

Ways of speech and miswording. - People can stretch this to the boys being super young and that’s valid. It’s common in young kids. Show examples would be Bubble Boy, when Brick writes his graffiti. “BRIK WUZ HER”. But the main spots I’ve seen this happen is the comics. For example, CN Action Pack #6, Butch mixing up “invisible” with “invincible.” Certain ways they talk as well can be seen on the spectrum. Or at least that’s how I see it. Like when Brick mentions a bus to help their heist in CN Action Pack #4. Instead of Butch adding to the convo. he speaks on how much he likes buses and why. Or Brick stating he likes eggs randomly in CN Action Pack #6. Again kid stuff too, so see it how you like.

MANY examples here.

Distractions - Kid thing again but could be spectrum as well. The boys have sort attention spans and get bored super easily. An example here from CN Action Pack #1. Which also makes me think they would get distracted by their fixations a crazy amount.

Fixations - Ok this is cheating cuz I spotted this in Multiversus but since it’s Ruff media I’m adding it. The boys definitely fixate to specific things. Like Butch with his constant ticks and urge to fight, while Brick fixates on The Joker. Wanna see what I mean? Watch these two videos.

Brick - https://youtu.be/paA3XZ0-Feg?si=PTaho72oYo18ZTVS

Butch - https://youtu.be/s92Ksrdk5aw?si=JvOlCBrV5yUIgf

Sleep Issues - Also Multiversus but it’s something I found interesting. The boys HATE getting up early and constantly have the urge to sleep. Perhaps from sleep issues or staying up late being mischievous. This one hit personal for me. Wanna see for yourself? Check this video out.

youtube

Triggers - Comic based this time, and this can line up to PTSD a bit more. But autistic people including myself can and do have triggers so I’m adding this too. The boys have a huge trigger to the idea of being kissed. As shown in CN Action Pack #6, when the girls defeat them with cooties. The boys don’t even try to fight, and fly away in tears. I count this up to PTSD, but I can definitely see the boys getting overstimulated in their own ways.

Repetitive behaviors - I feel this one speaks for itself. If you watched any RRB episodes you’ll see what I mean.

Honestly I’m out of topics so imma end this here. If you disagree that’s cool, I just like exploring characters' heads.

#I love them so much #they’re sadly traumatized fr #autism spectrum disorder #actually autistic #autistic things #neurodivergent #adhd problems #actually adhd #rowdyruff brick #rowdyruff boomer #rowdyruff butch #rowdyruff boys #these boys need a grilled cheese #headcanon #reblog if you agree #Youtube

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dinitride-art · 2 years ago

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Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things: Identity

Okay, so I know that generally- and especially after season four- what seems to be the most common interpretation of Mike as a queer character, is that he’s repressing his sexuality throughout the entire series. I would like to counter that argument with one that suggests Mike is aware of his feelings for Will on a conscious level, and while he has repressed his identity prior to season four, he is now past the point of being able to repress his identity and his feelings for Will. To fully analyze Mike’s awareness of his identity, I will be exploring his repression and denial as a result of societal pressures as seen through the journey from season one through three, and the acceptance and attempted expression of his identity in season four.

Mike Wheeler in Season One of Stranger Things (Society)

While Will is missing, and while the Party is trying to figure out what to do with El, Mike is continually targeted by Troy. More specifically, Troy calls Will gay to torment Mike. Lucas and Dustin aren’t targeted in the same way nor do they have the same reactions as Mike. Lucas and Dustin aren’t the ones to push Troy when he’s making fun of Will in the gym, Mike is. We also see that Mike is somewhat shameful about what Troy has been doing. Troy calls Will slurs and when Mike tries to walk away, as the one being targeted by Troy, he’s tripped and slams his chin into a rock on the ground. He lies to El at first about the scrape on his chin because he doesn’t want her to know what happened. He doesn’t want her to know about what Troy is saying to him. Mike is bullied in season one for Will being perceived as queer. This implies that Mike is also perceived as queer by Troy but unlike Will, is bullied indirectly.

Bullying isn't the only aspect of season one that implies that Mike is experiencing societal pressure to conform; Both Dustin and Lucas suggest that Mike likes El. Mike denies this at first. What we see as an audience suggests that Mike’s feelings about El are different from Lucas and Dustin’s but not in the way that the characters are interpreting them. In episode two when El starts to change in front of the boys- because she doesn’t know any reason not to- Lucas and Dustin have very charged reactions. They are shocked and express that this is not a normal thing to do. Their reactions indicate that Lucas and Dustin have knowledge of why this situation isn’t normal, and that they both abide by and fit into that aspect of society. Mike’s reaction is very different. He’s annoyed by Lucas and Dustin’s reactions and quickly finds a solution to the problem. Mike knows why this situation is unacceptable, but because it doesn’t apply to him he is able to seem far more mature about handling it than his friends are. Mike knows how he is supposed to fit into society but his actions set him apart from those who actually do.

The start of Mike and El’s romantic relationship comes after Lucas and Dustin suggest it to Mike. They are telling Mike what is normal and now he is able to match his actions to their perceptions. This idea of what’s normal, liking El, is furthered by Nancy asking Mike if he likes El towards the end of the season when they’ve all met up at the school. Mike asks El if she wants to go to the Snow Ball with him, and then he kisses her. These aren’t unique actions. They abide perfectly by society's acceptable standards of romantic relationships, and what Mike is aware is acceptable, but there is little substance behind them. This is however, a shift from the beginning of the season where Mike’s knowledge of society contrasted his actions within it. After being told that being queer and not abiding by society will get you hurt or killed, and being pressured by close friends and family into liking El, Mike has started to actively repress his identity. His knowledge of what is socially acceptable is now driving his actions.

In season one Mike Wheeler is told that it is dangerous to reject society, and he is told that by people who hurt him for it and people he is close to. At twelve, Mike isn’t aware of his identity but he is made aware of the fact that it is unacceptable to be queer, or to make any action that suggests queerness in any way. Mike kisses El not only because it is what he has been told he is supposed to do, but because he has also been told that being perceived as anything else is dangerous. Mike’s journey with forced conformity and his identity starts in season one because that is the season where he is threatened for any action that society perceives as queer and where he learns to match his actions to what society deems acceptable.

Mike Wheeler in Season Two of Stranger Things (Repression)

Max Mayfield, Trauma and Identity, and Mike’s Response in Relation to Both (Season Two)

As Mike has begun to repress his identity, his anger towards Max is a direct result of his own internal conflict. Since Mike experienced many traumatic events in season one, his internal conflict cannot be wholly attributed to the repression of his identity. Mike’s denial of El’s death and his guilt surrounding it, Will’s disappearance, being chased by government agents: all of these things have an impact on Mike and his actions as a character. He is both traumatized by those events, and his experience with Troy and the resulting repression of his identity. When considering his reaction to Max it’s important to view the entirety of Mike’s experiences as a character to better understand what his actions mean and where they’re coming from. Mike’s decisions are impacted by both his identity and his experiences because of it and outside of it. I would first like to consider his reaction to Max through the lens of his experiences in season one, outside of his identity, to create a better understanding of how that trauma impacts his character differently than the repression of his identity.

In season one, Mike and Joyce Byers had similar reactions and experiences as a result of Will going missing. They were both doubted and experienced pushback upon telling others that they believed Will was still alive. Will’s disappearance affected them differently than others that knew Will. Mike’s response to Will going missing is emphasized when Dustin, Lucas and him are questioned by Hopper at school, and when they are at the hospital. In both those situations Mike has a different action than Dustin and Lucas. While Dustin and Lucas were arguing, Mike was sitting silently on the couch. At the hospital we see the same situation where Lucas and Dustin have fallen asleep contrasting Mike who is still awake and waiting. Mike having a different response than his friends to Will’s disappearance is indicative of both a different relationship between Mike and Will, and different future reactions from Lucas and Dustin as a result of differing trauma. El’s introduction to the party in season one was met with pushback from Lucas and Dustin, contrasting Mike’s immediate acceptance of her. When Dustin, Lucas and Mike saw her die in front of them, this would have a different effect on Mike because like Mike’s relationship with Will, his relationship with El is emphasized to be different from Lucas and Dustin’s relationship with her. Mike does not have the same experiences as Lucas and Dustin, causing his actions and reactions and impact of trauma on them to differ from theirs.

Lucas and Dustin have immediate positive reactions to Max’s introduction juxtaposing Mike and Will who are not interested in Max. Will, unlike Mike, does eventually accept Max into the Party. Considering that Mike and Will’s initial reactions to Max were the same, one can infer that there is a commonality in their characters, mainly their sexual identities, that sets them apart from Lucas and Dustin. However, Mike’s actions towards and in response to Max change and Will’s stay the same, one can also infer that Mike’s adverse feelings towards Max are a result of something other than his internal conflict in repressing his identity.

Max Mayfield’s introduction is both as a new character and as a love interest. Mike and Will’s initial reactions are different from Lucas and Dustin’s because of their lack of romantic interest in Max. Will eventually accepts Max into the Party because unlike Mike, his pushback to Max is almost entirely because of his identity. Mike does not accept Max as a friend because of his experiences in season one that differ from Lucas, Dustin and Will’s. Will disappearing and continuing to have problems, and El dying have caused Mike to be adverse to trusting new people. Part of Mike’s issues with Max are because of his trauma surrounding losing people he cares about. That isn’t to say that his struggles with his identity and subsequent repression do not also affect his feelings and actions towards Max. Mike’s adverse feelings towards Max are a result of trauma and his identity.

As Mike has begun to repress his identity due to his experiences in season one, his negative response to Max makes sense not only as a result of losing Will and El, but as a response to undeniable proof of being different from Dustin and Lucas. Mike doesn’t like Max like they do, and while Will doesn’t either, Mike's focus is primarily on conforming to society himself. Dustin and Lucas like Max immediately and their reactions to Max contrast both Mike’s reactions to Max, and his feelings towards El. Mike doesn’t like Max, romantically or otherwise, because her presence is a constant attack on his repression. He’s different from Lucas and Dustin. He doesn’t like the new girl at school, and that’s a problem because not liking Max like Lucas and Dustin is too close to what he’s repressing; he doesn’t like girls at all.

Will Byers, High Stress Situations and Denial (Season Two)

In high stress situations Mike’s feelings take precedence over his repression. Will’s possession is a high stress situation that causes Mike’s actions to reflect his feelings rather than what he knows to be socially acceptable. He holds Will’s hand when Will’s scared, and sleeps at his bedside in the lab. When Mike is not given time to make an informed decision about his actions, they tend to be actions that are not socially acceptable. The contrast between how Mike acts with Will at the Byers house and in the lab, and at the SnowBall, shows us that Mike’s actions change when they are not forced to be instinctual. Mike doesn’t have time to think about placing his hand over Will’s, or reaching out to him when he’s in danger because the situation does not give him time to consider the societal implications and or pushback to those actions. However, at the SnowBall, Mike does have time to implement societal implications into his reasoning, which is why he encourages Will to dance with a girl, and why he dances with El when she shows up. Season one and season two end with Mike in very similar places in terms of the repression of his identity: Mike, El and the SnowBall, and Mike kissing El. Mike and El’s relationship and Mike’s response to El has remained the same, but there have been developments in Mike’s response to Will.

If Lucas and Dustin liking Max is a threat to Mike’s repression of his identity, then Will dancing with a girl has a similar effect. Mike and Dustin stare at Will dancing with a girl and Max dancing with Lucas, respectively. Unlike when Max was introduced, Mike doesn’t push back against the new girl, he encourages Will to dance with her because this is not the same as Lucas and Dustin liking Max. Will not dancing with a girl would be more of a problem because of Mike’s feelings for Will. As he is repressing those feelings, he needs to push Will away from him. Until the Snow Ball, Mike has not made any decisions that distanced him from Will because Mike did not have any reason to. Prior to the end of season two, Mike was not aware that his actions towards Will were socially unacceptable and therefore a threat to the repression of his identity. At the end of season one, Mike had begun to repress his identity but was still largely unaware of it. What has changed at the end of season two is Mike’s awareness of what it is that he’s repressing and his subsequent denial of it. He starts to push Will away, and his feelings for him, and pushes himself towards El because of his knowledge that he’s supposed to like her, and what is socially acceptable.

Mike Wheeler in Season Three of Stranger Things (Denial)

Now that Mike has gained enough awareness of his own repression of his identity, he has shifted from repression to denial. In season three, Mike actively seeks out help for how he is supposed to act in society and continues to push away anything that suggests he doesn’t conform to society. Despite his attempts to conform Mike is confronted with his and El’s relationship and how it contrasts Lucas and Max's relationship, and his relationship and feelings for Will.

Denial and Conscious Defense (Season Three)

Mike and El’s relationship isn’t like Max and Lucas’s. They don’t go to the movies together, or hang out with their friends, or maintain a connection outside of their romantic relationship. Even Suzie and Dustin, as we later learn, share interests and memories, further showing that there is something off about Mike and El’s relationship. Hopper complains about Mike and El’s relationship to Joyce and tells her that he thinks something is wrong with it. What is shown on this level doesn’t affect Mike’s character, or force him to confront his identity. He doesn’t see the contrast between his and El’s relationship and the others like we do. It is however, important to acknowledge the emphasis on the contrast to the viewer alongside Mike’s denial of his sexuality. As Mike’s identity is becoming a conscious problem for him, it is also becoming a conscious possibility to the audience perceiving his character.

Mike and Will, and Max and Lucas meet up to see a movie at the mall. Mike’s late after hanging out with El, and Lucas makes fun of him. He mocks Mike, saying, “Oh, El. I wish we could make out forever and never hang out with any of our friends.” Lucas’s words imply that Mike’s relationship with El and the actions he makes aren’t normal. By making fun of it he’s pointing out elements within it that are off. Lucas continues to tease Mike until Mike gets defensive, saying, “Yeah, it’s so funny that I want to spend romantic time with my girlfriend.” Mike is trying to reaffirm that his and El’s relationship is normal. He’s denying Lucas’s claims that it’s something wrong and something that can be made fun of, to which Lucas responds, “I’m spending romantic time with my girlfriend.” The difference that Lucas is highlighting between his and Mike’s romantic relationships is Mike’s denial that there is something weird about it. It’s not normal to never hang out with the Party, considering that they’re all friends, and Mike’s excuse of “spending romantic time with [his] girlfriend” is immediately refuted.

Mike is very quick to deny Lucas’s teasing. As Mike isn’t able to completely repress his identity anymore, he becomes more defensive to anything that implies he doesn’t fit into society. Denial is a conscious act of defense for Mike, both internal and external, which is why he becomes defensive so quickly in response to Lucas’s teasing.

Will Byers, Identity and Denial, and Confrontation (Season Three)

When El breaks up with him, Mike goes to Lucas for help. Their relationship doesn’t come naturally to him, but as he is in denial of his identity, he needs their relationship to work. In doing this, he pushes Will away, and their interests and connection. While Mike is unable to figure out how to apologize to El on his own, he doesn’t hesitate to run after Will. Will is more important to Mike than the denial of his identity. The first real fight between Mike and Will happens because of Mike’s denial. It’s a similar situation, Mike getting defensive when it’s implied that he doesn’t fit perfectly into society, like him getting defensive at Lucas’s teasing at the mall. However, this situation is still very different from what happened at the mall because Will isn’t Lucas. His existence in Mike’s life is a blatant counter to Mike’s denial of his identity. Mike’s denial doesn’t present simply as defense with Will, it presents as Mike pushing Will away and both of them getting frustrated and yelling at each other as a consequence when things get pushed too far.

Mike and Will’s fight in season three is a result of their separate conflicts surrounding their identities. It’s set off by Lucas and Mike making fun of Will for still wanting to play D&D, but quickly boils down to the main issue: Mike and Will’s relationship, and Mike’s denial of it resulting in him pushing Will away. In the basement, when Will’s had enough, he says he’s going home and Mike goes after him, Lucas is left behind. Their conversation shifts from Mike saying, “It’s a cool campaign. It’s really cool. We’re just not in the mood right now,” rather quickly to Will saying, “You’re destroying everything- and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?” They start off talking about the whole Party, Lucas, Mike, Will and Dustin, but the Party isn’t why Mike and Will are fighting. Will is the one to shift the conversation away from the Party and onto Mike.

Immediately after Will narrows in on Mike, Mike gets defensive and says, “El’s not stupid. It’s not my fault you don’t like girls.” Will is calling Mike and El’s relationship into question, he’s forcing Mike into a conversation where he will be unable to deny his identity to himself any longer, so he throws it right back at Will. Mike’s denial of his identity is tied to his relationship with El, to getting older and fitting into society. Will’s denial of his identity is tied to his relationship with the party, to playing games in Mike’s basement and not having to think about falling in love or what is expected of them in the future. Will is devaluing Mike’s relationship, his attempt to fit into society, and Mike responds in turn.

“I’m not trying to be a jerk, okay? But we’re not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think, really? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? That we were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?”

In the same way that Will brought up how Mike’s focus on his and El’s relationship is negatively affecting all of their friends, and pointing out how Mike’s denial is “destroying [their] party”, Mike latches onto Will’s denial. He is telling Will that what he’s trying to do is unrealistic and unattainable, despite the fact that Mike having genuine feelings for El is also unattainable. He is not specifically talking about Will being queer, nor is Will talking about Mike being queer, they are talking about themselves and projecting their frustration onto each other.

After Mike shifts the focus of the conversation onto Will, there is another major shift, once again because of Will, he responds to Mike by saying, “Yeah. I guess I did. I really did,” and then he rides into the rain on his bike. The conversation has shifted from Mike and Will as each other’s focus, to something deeper; their relationship and what Will expected for him and Mike. Will took Mike’s words as Mike talking about their relationship rather than Mike returning Will’s words about his denial. Will isn’t denying anything. He’s telling Mike the truth and the truth has different implications than Mike’s words. Mike is conscious of this shift, his face falls, and he yells after Will as he leaves. The fight in season three between Mike and Will has two major shifts, both initiated by Will: the first being the shift from the conversations focus on the party to Mike and Will as individuals, and the second being the shift from Mike and Will to Mike and Will’s relationship and its implications.

When Mike is in a situation of high stress, like Will being possessed or fighting with Will about their relationship, he isn’t able to consider the societal implications of his actions. He relies on what’s natural to him, and after fighting with Will, it’s running after him. Mike doesn’t have time to deny his feelings for Will, he’s more focused on apologizing. We see how Mike’s denial crumbles away, despite Lucas beside him as he goes after Will to make things right. Mike doesn’t hesitate. His and Will’s relationship comes naturally to him. Unlike with El, who Mike needs to ask others for help with, Mike knows exactly what he needs to do with Will, which is another hit to his denial of his identity. The way Mike handles his fight with Will is very different from how he handles his and El’s break up. The proximity of these two events forces Mike to compare them, and starts to crack the defenses of his internal denial of his identity.

Mike and El’s Relationship (Season Three)

At the end of season three, it continues the trend of reaffirming Mike and El’s relationship, but unlike in season one and two, it’s not initiated by Mike. In season one, Mike kissed El because he was repressing his identity. In season two, Mike kissed El because he was in denial of his identity. In season three, Mike doesn’t kiss El because he has been forced to accept his identity. When she kisses him, he doesn’t reciprocate, and appears confused afterwards. Despite his acceptance, Mike’s journey with his identity isn’t over, because now he has a new problem; El kissed him. They’re still in a relationship, and he has feelings for Will. Mike is given no time to attempt to fix this as Will and El move away from Hawkins at the end of the season.

Mike Wheeler in Season Four of Stranger Things (Acceptance + Fear)

Acceptance, Awareness and Concealment (Season Four)

We learn early on in season four that Mike’s started to embrace a different side of himself with his appearance. His hair is longer, he wears dark clothes: he’s not trying to fit into what is socially acceptable anymore. Mike has once again started playing D&D. That was what started off Mike and Will’s fight in season three, and at the end of season three was what they talked about before Will left Hawkins. D&D doesn’t represent Will trying to hold onto their childhood. It represents living outside of what is acceptable. To Mike and Will it means even more because it’s a piece of the foundation of their relationship. Mike is now fully aware of his identity and has accepted it. Acceptance means that he has become unable to deny his queerness, but it does not mean that he experiences any less internal conflict over his queerness. In season four Mike is faced with many situations that escalate because of his own fears about his identity and the reality that he finds himself in. Mike goes to California and has to confront both Will and El, his friend who he has feelings for and his girlfriend who he’s still in a relationship with despite his knowledge of his identity and his feelings.

Now that Mike is aware of his identity and has accepted it, he has become far worse at being able to hide it. Mike arrives in Lenora wearing bright colours and clothes that are nothing like what he was wearing to school the day before. He brings El flowers, and while he doesn’t initiate their kiss, he does reciprocate. Until Mike sees Will, he is doing an adequate job of hiding his identity from everyone. His clothes make him stand out and are clearly not normal for him, but what really breaks his facade is when he doesn’t hug Will. Not hugging Will is far more incriminating for Mike than greeting him normally. Mike has a strong start at the airport but it becomes clear rather quickly that when Mike is faced with Will, his defenses start to fall apart. Mike is overthinking his actions around Will. He is aware of his feelings for Will and overcomplicates everything because of it. At the airport, Mike is unable to hug Will, to greet him like a normal friend, and fails in starting a normal conversation. If Argyle didn’t bring attention to Mike’s off brand shirt and his false expression of his identity, then he might have still had a chance to appear normal, in both the audience and other character’s eyes but with that last nail in the coffin, Mike is unable to appear normal in the audience’s or the character’s perceptions. Mike’s fears and defensive stance have shifted away from denial of his identity, and now to the possibility of others figuring it out.

Mike doesn’t talk to Will until he is forced into a stressful situation where he is, as is usual of his character, unable to match his actions to society's standards. Initially, Mike doesn’t notice the situation with El as he is focused on hiding his identity from Will and El. Mike is alone for the first time in six months with the two people who his newly accepted identity are directly affected by. Most of Mike’s actions at Rink O’ Mania are based in his fear of Will and El finding out about him. However, his actions are not like how they were in season three. Mike’s denial of his identity presented outwardly as anger and defensiveness, his acceptance presents as avoidance and deflection. Mike knows who he is. He needs to turn the conversation away from himself to stop anyone from looking any closer at him and seeing who he is for themselves.

Will and the Closet (Season Four)

Mike and Will’s fight at Rink O’ Mania isn’t due to Mike and Will’s denial of their identities. There is a new point of contention in their relationship: the closet. Both Mike and Will are fully aware of their identities and their feelings for one another, but are unaware of the other’s feelings. Once again, they are taking out their individual struggles with their identities out on each other. This is a result of Mike and Will’s feelings for each other feeding the escalation of their frustration. It’s the same thing that happened with Mike and Will’s fight in season three, but instead of defense and anger driving the conversation, it’s deflection.

During this fight, Mike yells at Will, “You were! You were rolling your eyes, you were… you were moping! You were barely talking. You basically sabotaged the whole day.” Mike is turning the conversation away from his actions and onto Will. He’s trying to keep Will away from the truth, but it doesn’t work because Will is also trying to keep Mike from figuring out the truth. Will uses El to defect from Mike’s sudden turn on him, telling Mike, “Well, she was lying to you Mike! Straight to your face ever since you got here…” This part of Will’s response is in line with his and Will’s mutual deflection, but just like in the rain fight, Will is the one to shift the conversation onto his and Mike’s relationship.

Will asks, “What about us?” when Mike starts to walk away. Will is not in the same position as Mike. He doesn’t have a girlfriend and while there are still consequences to his words, they aren’t as damning as they’d be if they came from Mike. In season one it was established that Will would cast fireball rather than protection; he’s more inclined to put himself in danger. Mike and Will’s characterizations are opposites when it comes to handling danger. Where Will is more likely to take the risk, Mike plays it safe. This is often seen as Mike being overprotective of people like Will and El, rather than Mike trying to find the safest way to proceed. This aspect of their characters is seen on a larger level, like Will telling them to close the gate when he was possessed, and telling Joyce to run through the lights in season one, or in Mike’s case it’s seen through his overprotectiveness and ability to come up with the safest plans like sedating Will in season two rather than trying to hold him back. Will throws himself into the line of fire while Mike works to minimize damage. This is why Will is always the one to bring up the importance of their relationship. It’s simply an aspect of his character, just like Mike’s complete avoidance of the topic is Mike’s way of trying to find the safest way out of the situation. However, when Mike is confronted by Will in this manner, he’s too shocked to say anything substantial in response until much later.

Will’s insistence on bringing up his and Mike’s relationship puts pressure on Mike. This pressure reaches a high when Will asks Mike one last time, “And us?” Will keeps pushing for Mike to give him an answer, an answer that Mike is trying to avoid. Since Will is the one asking him this and the added stress of what happened with El, Mike isn’t able to abide by his knowledge of what is socially acceptable. Mike responds to Will asking him about their relationship by trying to deflect, but again like his and Will’s reunion at the airport, he overcompensates. Mike says, “We’re friends. We are friends.” This is unnecessary and Mike soon finds out about his mistake when Will says, “Well, we used to be best friends!” This clarifies that Will was talking about their friendship, while Mike interpreted Will’s words as comparing their relationship to his and El’s romantic relationship.

The stress of not being able to find El and fighting with Will forced Mike to make split second decisions. Will cornered him and Mike started to push him away. He got scared. Mike isn’t acting out of frustration like he did in season three. Mike’s denial of his identity is very different from his acceptance and fear of others figuring him out. Another difference between the fight in season three and the fight at Rink O’ Mania is that Mike doesn’t push Will into leaving. Mike’s the one that walks away from the conversation. He ends it by saying, “Let’s just find her, okay?” instead of escalating it further. Mike’s understanding of himself has changed the way he responds to feeling unsafe and to the possibility of a conversation heading towards a discussion of his identity.

El and Confrontation (Season Four)

After Will and Mike’s fight, we then see the state of Mike's relationship with El. She confronts him about not being able to tell her he loves her, or sign his letters Love, Mike. Since Mike accepted his identity he has been trying to distance himself from El. Mike also doesn’t like lying. In the first season he was adamant that everyone follow the Party’s rule that “friends don’t lie.” Mike knows that he doesn’t love her romantically and he doesn’t actively lie to her in the letters. However, his actions are still led by fear and he has been avoiding the topic of his identity rather than outright lying. Mike does care about El, he shows this when he goes to her the day after Rink O’ Mania to try and talk about everything. Despite the fact that he’s just found out that El has been lying to him about how she’s actually been doing in Lenora, Mike is attempting to start a conversation about it rather than a fight. Mike attempts to connect with El by saying, “I’ve been bullied my whole life. I know what it's like.” Even when she responds negatively, telling him, “No. You don’t,” Mike still manages to remain mostly calm.

This calmness persists until El turns the conversation a little too close to Mike’s actions, to his identity. When Mike asks her to tell him what he isn’t getting, she says, “I am different. I do not belong.” She is saying that Mike can’t understand what she’s going through because he isn’t different. This causes Mike’s demeanor to shift from calm to deflective. Mike is different, so El saying that he isn’t, is untrue but Mike can’t tell her that. This situation leaves him unable to talk to El about what happened without telling her the truth. He ends up overcompensating because El has pushed him into a corner. Mike tells her that, “[he cares for her so much].” He isn’t lying, but he’s still in a position where he has to actively avoid the truth. El then pushes him further by bringing up his letters and saying, “You can’t even write it, Mike” and “From, Mike. From, Mike. From, Mike,” citing evidence from all of his letters. She pushes Mike far enough that he starts trying to invalidate and deflect every part of their conversation in order to conceal the truth.

“Eleven, you’re being ridiculous- wh- like- what is this? You- you know what I think of you. You’re the most incredible person in the world. And, you can’t let these mouth breathers ruin you- ruin us. I mean, they’re nobodies. They’re nobodies. And you’re a superhero.”

Most characters don’t call El, Eleven. By calling her this, Mike is creating distance between them. This is also a sign that he’s stressed enough to completely forgo putting any thought into his words. His priority is changing the trajectory of the conversation and deflecting away from El’s confrontation about his shortcomings in their relationship. Unlike El, Mike doesn’t present any evidence to back up his claims. His words are not meant to reassure El or comfort her. Mike’s initial priority was comfort and understanding, but as soon as El brought up his actions, Mike’s priority shifted towards concealing his identity and the truth that comes with it.

Actions and Awareness (Season Four)

Mike and El’s conversation fell apart when El brought up being different from other people because, like Will, she backed Mike into a corner and started to push towards the truth. Mike ends up deflecting and pushing them both away. In season three, Mike lied to El. Hopper confronted Mike about him and El and allowed Hopper to put distance between them. Mike made no move to go after El by himself. This changes in season four. After their fight, El is arrested and Mike runs after her. Acceptance means that Mike is aware of the reasons behind his actions. He is now in a position where he is able to think about finding a solution to his relationship with El and his feelings for Will. However, concealment and fear still motivate a lot of what he says and does in season four. Mike queerness is both why he needs to fix things, but also why he hasn’t figured out how to. There is no answer to his and El’s relationship that doesn't involve telling her about his identity.

In the seasons prior to season four, Mike was attempting to fit into a society he still felt he belonged in. Now Mike knows he’s different but high stress situations still affect his decision making. Fighting with Will and El forces Mike’s actions to reflect truths that he is usually better at concealing. It’s still the same situation that caused Mike to grab Will’s hands in season two, and run after him after their fight in season three. The difference between season four and the others is that Mike was able to isolate these incidents. His repression and denial of his identity allowed him to compartmentalize it. Mike only had to confront his identity when he was forced to repress it or deny it. Now in season four, Mike is constantly aware of his identity. All of his actions are affected by it.

From when Mike first arrives in Lenora wearing different clothes and acting weird around Will, to every conversation Mike and Will have, Mike’s actions are affected by his identity. Whether that be the concealment of his identity in his fights with El and Will, or in his feelings towards Will affecting how he acts in their relationship. After El is taken into custody, Mike, Will and Jonathan are put under house arrest by the government. With El gone, Mike’s internal conflict is no longer split in between two people in his immediate vicinity. His priorities shift from concealing his identity to finding El. The focus is no longer on Mike’s actions. As a result, Mike focuses less on hiding and this allows for the development of his and Will’s relationship because Mike stops pushing Will away whenever the conversation focuses on Mike. This shift can be seen when Mike initiates a conversation with Will and willingly discusses his own actions.

The apology from Mike to Will happens just before they are shot at and go on the run in Argyle’s pizza van with Jonathan. Mike walks into Will’s room with his bag and Will asks, “Packed already?” and Mike responds, “Yeah, I mean. I never really unpacked.” These lines are meant to alert the viewer of Mike’s unresolved conflict. He got to Lenora and was immediately faced with El and Will. He wasn’t given the chance to sort things out between them. This line indicates that he was going to attempt to work things out. His reluctance to tell El he loves her is also an indication that Mike has been aware of his identity since he and El began sending letters to each other, and that he doesn't want to lie to her about it or that he is unable to lie to her about it. Mike’s fight with El shows us that he doesn’t want to lie to her but he hasn’t figured out how to tell her yet. Mike’s apology to Will shows us that he doesn’t want to lie to Will but he hasn’t figured out how to tell him how he feels. Mike is trying to make things right, but he’s scared to tell them the truth.

Mike, in an attempt to make things right, apologizes to Will. He says, “Thanks by the way… for knocking some sense into me. I was being a total self-pitying idiot.” Mike acknowledges the way that he acted and willingly explains his reasons. He doesn’t tell Will the real reason that he was acting that way but acknowledges that there was a reason. Mike isn’t denying or deflecting the truth in this conversation; he’s confronting it himself. When Will tries to accept some of the blame for how things have gone since Mike arrived, Mike refutes him.

“No. No, no, no, you didn’t deserve anything. Listen, the truth is the last year has been weird, y’know? And I mean, Max and Lucas and Dustin, they-they’re great- they’re great, it’s just- it’s Hawkins. It’s not the same without you.”

In refuting Will, Mike is willingly continuing a conversation about their relationship. He is allowing “the truth” to be the main focus. This is a change from his previous deflection of Will’s attempts to discuss their relationship, and by association, Mike’s identity. Mike’s journey does not end at his own acceptance of his identity. It ends with the expression of his identity. Being in the closet, having a girlfriend, not telling Will how he feels: these are all ways that Mike has become unable to express his queerness. It is not enough for Mike to know about himself. As this is the story of a queer character, acceptance of his own identity is only part of what needs to happen for Mike’s story arc with his personal conflict concerning his identity to be completed. The other part is being visibly queer in society, “coming out” to people that are important to him. Mike still exists within society's standards of acceptable behaviour. He still hasn’t broken the mold created in season one. That is the last thing that needs to happen for Mike’s identity arc to be completed. While this is not resolved in season four, scenes like his apology to Will, are setting up the trajectory he will follow in season five.

Mike’s speech to El when she’s in danger fighting Vecna is prompted by Will. It is not due to his own feelings, but due to societal pressure. Complicating this further, Will tells him that he’s “the heart.” This is what he told Mike when he gave him the painting that he said was commissioned by El. As Mike and Will have been trying to pry answers out of each other throughout all of season four, they’ve also been reading through the lines of what the other is saying. They have been trying to figure out if they will accept the expression of their identity. So, when Will calls Mike “the heart” to push him into talking to El, he is also taking away any hope Mike had that the painting was actually from Will. In season four, Mike is the one to reach out to El to reaffirm their relationship, but unlike prior seasons, he is fully aware of his identity and actively being forced to conform. Mike’s speech doesn’t work because it’s not genuine, and Mike is unable to to fully conceal his identity while he is in a high stress situation, heartbroken, and completely aware that he’s lying. Mike can’t hide his identity anymore. This scene with El is showing us that not only does Mike need to fix his relationships with Will and El, but also that it is becoming more of a problem as time goes on. At the end of season four, Mike’s concealment of his identity is starting to fall apart.

Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things (Conclusion)

In season one Mike learns what society deems unacceptable, that being queer or being perceived as queer is unacceptable. At the end of the season, Mike starts to repress his identity. His actions, which began as unmatched to society, have now fit into how Mike has been told he is supposed to exist. Season two explores Mike’s repression of his identity and his eventual denial as he is made aware of how he does not fit into society. In his denial, he pushes Will away and himself towards El. Mike’s actions in season two, like season one, begin as outside of what is expected from him within society, and ends with Mike matching his actions once again to what is socially acceptable. Season Three is a continuation of that denial and shift in his relationship with Will, and his new relationship with El. Eventually in season three Mike is forced to accept and become fully aware of his identity. His actions don't match with society at the end of season three, indicating this shift. At the end of season three, and through season four, Mike is hiding his queerness; He is in the closet. Now that he is aware of his identity and has been forced to accept it, he is unable to properly match his actions to what is socially acceptable. Mike’s need to express his identity causes his attempts to conceal it to fail. The end of Mike’s arc with his identity will concern his inability to hide it any longer, and his need to express it to others.

#byler #mike wheeler #st analysis #stranger things

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shadowslocked · 6 months ago

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The thing that fascinates me about Caines adventure in Candy Kingdom is that there is a layer of complexity to it

Like, it could have been “retrieve the syrup truck from the bandits” and left at that, but instead the situation is made more complex by motives and an additional character

The gators aren’t just stealing the syrup because they want to, Gumigoo is specifically doing it to save his sickly mother. He also refers to his home as a ‘village’, meaning it likely is not nearly as large or prosperous as the Kingdom. This introduces a class conflict between the two sides, with the lower class resulting to stealing from the higher class in order to try to help those in their village

Added on, the Queen doesn’t fret about the syrup being taken for any noble reason. She wants it back simply because it belongs to her, making you more inclined to side with the Bandits/Gumigoo

Then you have the Fudge, a chaotic element in the story that the cast likely can only meet by being knocked off the road. Its goal is simple in wanting to eat candy people, having no moral dilemmas about committing murder to satisfy its hunger.

While most of the cast would be inclined not to entertain helping the Fudge, Jax is all for the possible chaos and destruction it could unleash.

I’m not sure if it’s due to Caine or him giving the NPC-AI a boost, but the story essentially introduces three to four routes you can take

1) Help the Queen, 2) Help the Gators, 3) Figure out a way to help both, 4) Join the Fudge

And even just making this list, I’m realizing there’s actually a lot of other ways this adventure could theoretically go. Such as letting the gators take the truck but then helping the Fudge destroy the Kingdom. The adventure doesn’t strictly have one outcome, it’s influenced by the players actions to surprising degree

A lot of the elements of the adventure seem to fit with another Cast members desire. The Fudge and chasing down the bandits is for Jax who craves action and violence, the Kingdom appeals to Ragatha and Gangle. While it’s not something that they encountered, it’s very likely they would have been affected by Gumigoos story abou lt wanting to save his mother. Kinger is more neutral and seems to be along for the ride. Caine tried to appeal to Zooble by emphasizing the improved AI, likely meaning they feel more realistic than previous versions.

It makes me curious if some future adventures will have the same level of complexity to them. Naturally, probably, because it also makes the show more interesting. But given its nature, it could also get away with a more simple idea like the first episode if it played its cards right

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #somebody said Jax is like that one dnd player more concerned about his own fun #than the players around him #which is really fitting for the setting #whole thing feels like a dnd one shot that flew off the DMs rails #I’m curious if these adventures might also hint about things in the real world #but it’s a bit too early to say

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delicatelystrangepolice · 7 months ago

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Another thing is, I never read YR as a political/cultural commentary piece because I believe it was way subtler in the first two seasons. Maybe it was easier for me not to read into it since I watched the show without any major context in the beginning.

What I saw were just the characters in this story, behaving pretty believably in their environment, their actions logical for their context, and conflicts coming just from circumstances.

I never read Wille any other way than just a teenager – I saw people using very strong words about him, from ‘helpless damaged baby’ to ‘spoiled and selfish brat.’ Since the story was immersive enough for me to see him like a real person, I never liked the simplifications of his character. Maybe I come from very specific experiences, but partying and acting up teenagers is nothing new to me. Being dramatic, neither. Those behaviors are not exclusive to rich/privileged kids. I mostly saw him as just a little troubled, trying to orient himself in the situation he found himself in.

But there comes Simon. Now I get that people accept he was just a plot device the reason for Wille to throw away the crown, but I firmly believe he was not written that way in the beginning. Simon felt as real as Wille. He had his own huge context, his troubles and characteristics – I always saw him as a real person as well. Also, I never saw him as a victim either. Again, that’s probably both because the show was written subtly enough and because I don’t have a simplistic worldview.

Social injustice is naturally a very close matter to my heart. I keep myself hopeful about the world, despite seeing some devastating shit in my life, because I believe in change. I believe in people working together, I believe in communities and parties willing to compromise for a cause.

I can’t comment much about the monarchy aspect of it, but what I gathered is that people don’t like the very concept of it. The right to be born in the right family and so on…

Well, the realist in me knows that people will always be born into something. It doesn’t matter that it’s not written in the law – countries without monarchies have some biggest social inequalities in the world. Russia is a great example. But the USA doesn’t fall far back behind either. Nowadays the inequalities come simply from being born into money. And it’s always going to be a thing. All around the world. I wish people understood that.

Inequalities aren’t diminished by revolutions, I don’t think (pretty sure some historians would agree with me although they are very welcome to correct me) They can be reduced however by the whole community working together. By stopping multiplying divisions and starting to talk. By listening to understand and not just to argue against.

I can’t help being angry at the message from YR because Sweden is one of the most progressive and developed countries in the world. Their social system is admired around the world, I think. Even their education system is the model others can only aspire to. I’m not saying they don’t have problems, but you know, in the bigger context…

Maybe it takes someone raised in a post-communist country to see those things that way. I just know that, deep down in my soul, destroying something is rarely the way. Building on that thing, adding to it, changing it to include – that’s how things are done to improve.

True both for countries and for worldviews.

Now, you started to read it because you thought I was talking about the show, and by the end of it you realized you were just reading my socialistic manifesto? Good. That’s how I felt watching Young Royals. But since the big media creators can do it on mainstream platforms, I figured a simple person could do it on their weird blog too.

#young royals #I just... okay #don't even ask hahaha

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twistedtummies2 · 1 month ago

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Top 20 Wicked Witches

Halloween isn’t here yet, but I’m still on my run of October-themed lists for 2024! So, let’s talk about one of Halloween’s most famous archetypes: the Wicked Witch. Disregarding the long and rather controversial history of real-life witchcraft, fictional witches have been a staple in mythology, fairy-tales, and popular media as a whole for a very long time. From gnarled old crones and nasty hags, to darkly beautiful enchantresses who are as glamorous as they are grotesque, these mistresses of black magic are a mainstay in fantasy and horror alike. Of course, not all witches are evil: some, like Hermione Granger from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, are generally very good and heroic characters. Even some witches who have a dark side, like Grandmama Addams from “The Addams Family,” aren’t really evil, they just have a sort of ghoulish sense of style. But no matter how much time passes, there will always be bad witches as well as good ones: figures of female power for both darkness and light. I decided to look specifically at some bad witches for this list. Some of them are hideous, some of them are radiant, but all of them match the basic description of “evil feminine magic-user.” There are a LOT of witch characters from various forms of media, so forgive me if any noteworthy ones YOU favor get left out of the running. With that said…here are My Top 20 Favorite Wicked Witches!

20. The Witch, from Into the Woods.

I wasn’t 100% sure how much this character REALLY counted as “wicked” witch, but by her own admission, “she’s not good, she’s not nice,” and she does do some things that are…morally questionable, to say the least. Plus, I absolutely LOVE “Into the Woods,” and I frankly don’t get to talk about it enough, so I’m giving her a spot here. For those who don’t know, this musical is the creation of the late, great Stephen Sondheim, whom many consider one of the greatest musical theatre masters of all time. The show is a mash-up of several fairy-tales together: in the first act, the stories intertwine and, by the end of the act, all of the characters involved have seemingly found their happy endings. This is all well and good, but the REAL kicker comes in Act II, when the characters learn that their actions (and inactions) from the first half now have far-reaching consequences, and that sometimes “happily ever after” isn’t so easy. The Witch is a central character in the story, who effectively jumpstarts the plot, as most of the major plot threads tie back to her twin goals of regaining her youth and beauty, and protecting her adoptive daughter, Rapunzel. While not necessarily EVIL, in the strictest sense, the Witch is a very self-centered character, and her self-serving nature repeatedly bites her in the rear throughout the story, with increasingly unfortunate results. At the same time, however, she’s one of the most rational characters in the story, often stepping in to halt the other characters as they bicker and fuss…though even then, it’s usually only for her own purposes. The character is typically treated as the “star attraction” in the play, as whenever there’s a really big name cast in the show, it usually goes to the Witch. Given how much meat there is to the role, it’s not a surprise that such names as Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Donna Murphy, and Phylicia Rashad have all tackled the part with aplomb.

19. Gruntilda, from Banjo-Kazooie.

This silly sorceress is the main antagonist of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, which focuses on the adventures of a bear and a bird trying to outdo the nasty crone in her many schemes. Gruntilda Winkybunion is a classic, cartoony witch, inspired by the Queen from Snow White. Determined to be the fairest in the land, she kidnaps Banjo’s sister in the first game, planning to rob her of her youth and beauty, thus turning the girl bear into a monster and transforming the gnarled witch herself into a smokin’ green bombshell. In later installments, the evil witch returns to seek revenge on those who took away her chance at glamor. While Grunty is not necessarily an idiot, she’s still a generally more humorous sort of character. Her ironic vanity and overconfidence constantly lead to her downfall, to say nothing of her faith in her many bungling minions. Though funny, she nevertheless poses a threat to the world she inhabits, and has many ways of coming back from her numerous defeats, even from beyond the grave! She may not be the scariest witch on the countdown, but she’s certainly one of the most entertaining.

18. Yubaba, from Spirited Away.

“Spirited Away” is many people’s choice for their favorite film from the popular Japanese movie company, Studio Ghibli, as well as the debated masterwork of internationally famed animator Hayao Miyazaki. Influenced by various fairy-tales and pieces of folklore, the story tells of the adventures of a young girl named Chihiro, who ends up lost - along with her parents - in the spirit world. After her parents are turned into pigs (it happens), she goes to a bathhouse run by the wicked hag Yubaba, to try and find a way to get home. Yubaba tricks Chihiro into signing a work contract with her, and steals Chihiro’s name away, giving her the new name “Sen.” As time goes on, Sen begins to forget her name and her true identity: if she completely forgets her true self, she’ll be Yubaba’s servant for the rest of time. Sen must thus find a way to regain ownership of her name and escape the spirit world and Yubaba’s influence. Yubaba is one of the few proper villains to appear in a Studio Ghibli film, and she’s a very fun character. While absolutely the villain of the story, she does have some standards: she considers herself a businesswoman, and genuinely respects hard work and determination. She even starts to form a sort of affection towards Sen, despite everything. The old witch also genuinely loves her son, Boh, spoiling him absolutely as rotten as herself. Boh later learns his lesson, but Yubaba…well, the jury is still out on that one.

17. Circe.

It’s difficult to say who the first witch character in fiction is/was, but I think a fair argument could be made that Circe - a figure of Greek Mythology - could certainly be considered AMONG the first, at the very least. This enchantress was the ruler of the mystical isle of Aeaea. The daughter of the Sun God, Helios, and a water nymph named Perse, Circe was closer to a deity than a human being, and had the power to match it. Circe was prone to jealousy, and seemed to enjoy toying with mortals either out of spite, or for sport, or for both. With her magic wand, she could turn other people into all sorts of beasts. In the famous legend of “The Odyssey,” she transformed most of Odysseus’ crew into pigs, until he agreed to live with her for a year. In another legend, she transformed a nymph named Scylla into the legendary man-eating sea monster of myth, in a plot of revenge. In still another, she punished King Picus for rejecting her advances by turning him into a woodpecker. The character still survives through various modern interpretations (my personal favorite is the one from DC, where she’s a frequent enemy of Wonder Woman). Depictions of the sorceress range from her being a mischievous trickster who is more chaotic than truly evil, to her being an outright evil entity. As one of the longest-lasting examples of an antagonistic witch, she definitely deserves mention here.

16. The Other Mother, from Coraline.

While I count the Other Mother as a witch, since she has been classified as such in other sources, this character is sort of an iffy case. It’s not really clear what or who the Other Mother actually is. Alternatively referred to as “The Beldam,” she is a mysterious and otherworldly being who lives in a parallel world, where she lures unhappy children by pretending to be a nicer, more indulgent version of their actual mothers. The Other Mother creates a universe where the child will have everything they ever wanted, be able to go on all the whimsical adventures they could ask for, and where every person they know is now a much more interesting version of their real life selves. Once the child is “fattened up” with all this joy, the Other Mother convinces them to sew a pair of black buttons onto their face in place of their eyes. It’s not clear exactly what happens then, but once they obey, the Child’s soul belongs to the Other Mother, and she devours their bodies. In both the original novel, as well as the more famous animated movie adaptation (which, to its credit, stays largely true to the book), as time goes on throughout the story, the Other Mother’s appearance changes steadily, from looking identical to Coraline’s real Mom, to resembling some twisted, warped, disgusting monster that hardly resembles the real woman at all. Her origins, the nature of her powers, and even her EXACT motivations cloaked in mystery, the Other Mother is one of the creepiest characters on this list.

15. Witch Hazel, from Looney Tunes.

In contrast to the mind-numbing horrors of the previous choice, Witch Hazel is one of the most lighthearted contenders, and by far the most LITERALLY cartoony. First appearing in a parody of “Hansel and Gretel,” this hyperactive hag didn’t appear in a ton of cartoons, but she’s nevertheless fondly remembered. Most of the time, Hazel is looking for some hapless animal to cook into her stew for supper, or else seeking some sort of special ingredient for one of her many poisonous potions. While not especially bright, her powers and her tenacity make her a dangerous character. Hazel is largely entertaining because of just how EXCITED she always is: she’s almost always bouncing around from scene to scene, and clearly having a blast doing whatever she wants to do. Like many great cartoon villains, and especially those from the Looney Tunes library - similar to Wile E. Coyote or Sylvester the Cat - she never wins, but you almost want her to, simply because she’s so much fun to watch.

14. Mommy Fortuna, from The Last Unicorn.

While this haggard old hag (see what I did there, folks who know?) is a relatively small character in the story, her role is still important, and she’s easily one of the most memorable antagonists in the tale. “The Last Unicorn” was a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle; it was later adapted into an animated feature film, produced by Rankin/Bass, with Beagle acting as the chief screenwriter and having a major role in helping to cast the picture. The plot of both the novel and the film is basically the same: a Unicorn, who believes she may be the last of her kind, leaves the secluded safety of her woodland retreat to try and find out what has happened to the rest of her species. Early on, she is captured by the wicked Mommy Fortuna: a witch who runs a traveling show called “The Midnight Carnival,” where she puts on displays of mythical beasts she has apparently captured with the help of her fellow showmen. It’s ultimately revealed that nearly all of Fortuna’s legendary creatures are mere illusions, as she uses her magic to make ordinary, rather shabby animals appear to be fantastic beasts. The Unicorn is one of only two actual, immortal beings she has successfully managed to ensnare. The other is the vengeful harpy, Celaeno. Fortuna has become obsessed with her capture of the harpy, and though she knows the Celaeno will literally be the death of her, she takes not only comfort but PRIDE in the fact that the creature will never forget the years she spent as the prisoner of the witch. The character was voiced in the film by Angela Lansbury, of all people; if you ever wanted to know what Mrs. Potts would sound like if she just completely lost her mind…well, first watch “Sweeney Todd,” then maybe take a look at this picture.

13. Jadis the White Witch, from The Chronicles of Narnia.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” the White Witch - a.k.a. Jadis, a.a.k.a. The White Queen - is the primary antagonist of two of the Narnia novels: the original story “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” and a later prequel tale, “The Magician’s Apprentice.” Though beautiful, she is thoroughly and horribly wicked: a vain sorceress whose heart is as cold as the icy winter she plunges Narnia into during her reign. Jadis is not only a highly gifted sorceress, but also incredibly strong physically, making her a particularly dangerous force to be reckoned with. Any who stand in her way are tortured, killed, or turned to stone; sometimes all of the above. She is capable of appearing kind and helpful at first, but only when it suits her needs to manipulate people to her side. While the White Witch is a very iconic villain (arguably more iconic than her inspiration, since most versions of the Snow Queen actually bear more resemblance to Jadis than anything from Hans Christian Andersen), I don’t necessarily automatically think of her when I think of the phrase “wicked witch,” so I’m ranking her somewhat lower. Make no mistake, however, she is a marvelous character, and worthy of placement.

12. The Grand High Witch, from The Witches.

Arguably one of Roald Dahl’s darkest children’s books (and that is saying a LOT, believe me), “The Witches” is a book all about…well…witches. In this universe, witches are not just treated as spellcasting crones, but rather almost as another species…a species of pure evil, who LOATHE children. Why do they loathe children? Because kids stink…literally. Witches find the scent of children so repellent, they will do ANYTHING to eradicate as many little boys and girls as they can from the planet. The most notable of the evil ladies in the story is their leader: a mysterious and diabolical figure known simply as the Grand High Witch. In both the book and each of the two feature film adaptations that have been released (one starring Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch, the other starring Anne Hathaway), the Grand High Witch presents herself at first as a beautiful, glamorous woman…but this is quite literally a mask. Underneath her disguise, she is a nightmarish beast, almost too repulsive to describe, with a voice that’s described as sounding like something crackling over a fire. Easily the most feared and powerful of all witches, she will quite literally fry those who dare question her authority, courtesy of white-hot beams of energy she can shoot from her eyes. She’s easily one of the most unsettling and frightening witches on the list, no matter which interpretation you look at.

11. Morgan le Fay.

One of the original dark sorceresses of literature and myth, Morgan le Fay ranks low because how wicked she is, and what kind of person she is, tends to vary depending on the adaptation or reimagining of Arthurian lore you actually look at. In some cases, Morgan is not really evil at all. In others, she is a cruel but elegant sorceress who will stop at nothing to achieve her evil ends. In still others, she is a more sympathetic villainess, whose dark deeds are fueled by tragedy, or who shows a noble side to her character beyond her diabolical actions. Even her name has changed: she’s been Morgan le Fay, Morgaine, Morgaine le Fay, Morgana, the list goes on. It’s the constant reinventions of Morgan that keep her out of the top ten, but they also showcase her single greatest strength: she is, almost without a doubt, the most famous villain in Arthurian legend (in the ones where she IS a villain), the only other possible exception to this rule being her son, the universally black-hearted Mordred. Arch-nemesis to both King Arthur and Merlin, as long as their stories are told and retold, Morgan will be following close behind in some fashion or another.

10. Witchiepoo, from H.R. Pufnstuf.

Another more lighthearted enchantress. A lot of you probably don’t know much about this character, if anything at all, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the (hilariously named) Witchiepoo, the main antagonist of the classic children’s series, “H.R. Pufnstuf.” The series focuses on the adventures of a young boy named Jimmy, who ends up stranded on the shores of a peculiar fantasyscape called Living Island. He works with the town’s mayor, the titular Pufnstuf, to keep peace across the isle, and foil the machinations of the villainous Witchiepoo, who forever schemes to - you guessed it - take over the world. Witchiepoo is about as cartoonish a witch you can get without being an ACTUAL cartoon; think Witch Hazel and then make her a live-action character, and you’ll have a rough idea. I got to see reruns of this series a lot growing up, and even owned a Witchiepoo plush toy as a child (sadly, I no longer have it), so this character has always had a soft spot for me. Much of the credit for her power as a character goes to her performer, the late Billie Hayes. She reprised the role in “The Paul Lynde Halloween Special,” where she was revealed to be the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West…which…I guess means Witchiepoo is the Wicked Witch of the East? (Wonder how she came back from having a falling house crush her spirit…AND her body.) Interestingly, Hayes also played a very similar character in the film “The Black Cauldron,” in the form of Orgoch, one of the Witches of Morva. I guess she just had a very specific and delightfully wicked type.

9. Bellatrix Lestrange, from Harry Potter.

While there are many witches, both good and bad, in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, arguably none are as delightfully wicked as Bellatrix Lestrange. (Please don’t bring Umbridge into this mess, I said DELIGHTFULLY wicked.) Bellatrix is one of the most notable antagonists of the series, both in the films and the books…which is funny, since she actually doesn’t appear till the last three novels, and, by extension, the last four films of the original Harry Potter movie series. Rotten to the core, this mad witch is arguably the single most devoted of Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters - an army of dark wizards who wish to conquer the entire world. Some do it for love of carnage. Some do it because they believe they are superior beings. Bellatrix does it for both reasons. She is sadistic and ruthless, gleefully tormenting and killing anybody who crosses her. Her personality flips from a zany, childish madwoman to a vicious, psychotic killer at the drop of a hat. In a way, Bellatrix feels like a sort of crossroads between the archetypal nasty crone many Wicked Witches seem to be, and the more glamorous dark sorceress type you’ll find in characters like Morgan le Fay or Jadis. She’s not necessarily bad-looking, but she’s not all there…I would say that perfectly describes her mental state, but that would imply there was ever a good soul there to begin with. Unfortunately for Harry and his team, that’s not the case.

8. The Sanderson Sisters, from Hocus Pocus.

Well, you can’t have a list of great wicked witches without these three, in my opinion. This Halloweentime cult classic is largely remembered JUST for these characters; I don’t think too many people care that much about about Max, Dani, or…(thinks)...okay, maybe SOME people care about Thackery Binx, but certainly not as many as those who care about the Sanderson Sisters! These three evil spinsters were executed during the infamous Salem Witch Trials (apparently, not ALL of the victims were innocent). They were caught in the middle of a plot to consume the life force of every single child in the village. However, before they were hanged, they cast a spell that would summon them back someday from beyond the grave…and three hundred years later, in 1993, they get their chance. Winnifred, played by Bette Midler, is the leader of the group, being the smartest and most cunning. Mary (Kathy Najimy) is arguably the silliest of the trio (which is saying a lot), but has the best nose, being able to sniff out kiddy-winks like the Child Catcher. Sarah (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) is a childish airhead, with a salacious edge to her personality. All three have the power to mesmerize people with their voices, siren-style. The actresses find a great balance between being entertainingly goofy and actually quite creepy and dangerous when necessary. The film’s popularity has only continued to grow over the years, with it now having a Halloweentime show at Disney World, and a sequel film, where the Witches return a second time almost thirty years after their initial resurrection. This film delivered much of the same from the trio, but also gave them a more sympathetic side, showing that these sisters didn’t come from the best background, and, beneath all their bickering and pantomime antics, they truly did and still do love each other. Always fun to see that in villains.

7. Ursula, from The Little Mermaid.

Consistently voiced by the late, great Pat Carroll, this cecaelian Sea Witch is certainly a unique choice on the list. In the original story of “The Little Mermaid,” the Sea Witch is a mysterious but not necessarily malicious character. She’s not someone you want to cross, but she’s not truly evil. In Disney’s treatment of the story, however, Ursula is depicted as an almost Mephistophelean character: a wily witch who makes almost Faustian bargains with merfolk, offering them the things they want most…but always for a price. With the help of her pet eels - Flotsam and Jetsam - she then sets about rigging the stakes to her advantage. Ultimately, these deals typically result in her taking her client’s souls, as she transforms them into withered, sentient, eternally-tormented polyps in her undersea garden. Ursula’s plans seem largely based around her desire for power, as well as her yearning for vengeance against King Triton. (In some continuities, Triton is her brother…Scar approves.) However, she also clearly takes gleeful delight in simply causing trouble, making other merpeople miserable and relishing every moment of their despair. She’s widely considered one of Disney’s greatest villains, and for good reason; placing her in my Top 10 here is a no-brainer.

6. The Witch from Hansel & Gretel.

Much like Morgan le Fay, there have been many incarnations of this witch throughout history. However, unlike Morgan, whose levels of evil tend to fluctuate…pretty much EVERY version of this Witch is pure evil, and it’s not surprising why. In this classic fairy-tale, a pair of small children - typically abandoned in the woods by their cruel stepmother - stumble across a giant gingerbread house in a secluded part of the forest. There they meet a kindly old woman, living alone, who takes them in and offers the starving babes some food. Unfortunately, it’s quickly made clear this is a sham: the “nice old lady” is really a cannibalistic witch, who uses her tempting home as a way of luring in her favorite meals: silly children. Arguably her greatest weakness is her poor eyesight, but her other senses are so heightened it almost doesn’t matter. The brother and sister must then find a way to escape the evil crone, before they end up as her dinner. The story is one of the most well-known fairy-tales of all time, and has been adapted to film and television on numerous occasions. There’s even a rather popular children’s opera rendition of the tale, along with other theatrical productions. Some of my favorite people to play the Witch include Cloris Leachman, Rosie Perez, Joan Collins…and our old pal Billie Hayes. Yeah, Witchiepoo strikes again…like I said, Hayes must have had a VERY specific type. XD

5. The Weird Sisters, from The Scottish Play.

No, I’m not saying the title, because I’m not taking any chances. But if you know your Shakespeare, you’ll know which play I’m talking about. If you don’t, however, here’s a brief little summary: a Scottish nobleman, whom we shall call “MacB,” learns from a trio of witches - referred to commonly as “The Weird Sisters” - that he will become king. Urged on by his ambitious and dangerous wife, he decides to kill the current king and orchestrate things in such a way as to seize the crown for himself, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Still unsure of his security and power, however, MacB later visits the witches again…and it isn’t long till history repeats itself, this time much to MacB’s detriment. These witches are some of the most iconic in history; their famed chanting of “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble” has arguably become more well-known than the play itself, or their role in the story. While the Witches are evil in the story, their exact motives are unclear: they seem to be bringers of chaos, simply relishing in the chance to stir up trouble with their prophecies and teasing words, leading MacB and others on then sitting back and watching the madness unfold. Some versions give them a slightly softer veneer, making them seem more like strange wise women than malicious monsters. In some versions, in fact, there are more than three Witches, instead revealing a whole coven of cackling crones, concocting vile potions and practicing scary spells in the wilds of the world. Given that this is my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, it stands to reason these famous enchantresses would rank highly for me, but there are still a few characters I like more.

4. Baba Yaga.

If there is a quintessential fairy-tale witch, I would argue the Russian crone known as Baba Yaga fits that bill. Predating even the witch from “Hansel & Gretel” (whom she may or may not have inspired), Baba Yaga is a figure of Slavic folklore, who has appeared in many stories over the years. She is described as an ancient hag with iron teeth, who lives in a hut that is able to move around on giant chicken legs. She flies around in an oversized mortar, with a crooked broom in one hand that she uses to sweep away her tracks. In many stories, Baba Yaga is depicted as an eater of children; sometimes she lures gullible ones into her lair, other times she kidnaps naughty children and whisks them away for her supper. Of course, she doesn’t restrain her appetite to JUST kids; those who displease the Baba Yaga run the risk of being her dinner regardless. However, she is not wholly unreasonable: in some stories, she’s depicted as being somewhat like the Sea Witch - making hard but not impossible deals with mortals for her own ends. There have been many depictions of this character over the years: from animated films like “Bartok the Magnificent,” to video games like “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow" and “Rock of Ages II,” to unrelated forms of literature like “Babushka Baba Yaga.” Some of these make the witch out to be a more sympathetic character who is merely misunderstood, while others stick to her as a purely evil villainess. Arguably the greatest bogey-story of witchcraft on this whole countdown, Baba Yaga has more than earned her place in my top five.

3. The Evil Queen, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

While I’m specifically talking about the Disney version here, one could easily give this placement to ANY version of the Evil Queen. In the original fairy-tale, it’s not clear if the Queen’s disguises are the work of magic or not, but considering all the other magical things around her - from the Poison Apple to the Magic Mirror to lesser-known elements - it’s not surprising many adaptations go the full monty, so to speak, and have her physically transform into a crooked old crone. Disney’s version was probably the first to take this approach, and remains the most famous. With this take on the character, you kind of get the best of both worlds with the spectrum of evil feminine spellcasters: as the Queen, she is cold, elegant, and darkly beautiful. As the Witch, she is a half-crazed, gnarled hag, complete with a cackling laugh. Both of her guises are iconic, and the scene where the Queen changes her shape for the first time is one of the most famous in the film. Like many of the other Disney Villains that would follow her, she is delightfully quotable, and set the bar many famous antagonists - including other witches - would later follow.

2. Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty.

DON’T START YELLING AT ME YET. I am very well-aware that Maleficent isn’t TECHNICALLY a witch, in the strictest sense of the word. She is a dark fairy; a member of the fae. HOWEVER, I’m still going to count her because a.) she still fits the basic bill of “humanoid enchantress of the diabolical sort,” and b.) she actually HAS been referred to as a witch, in Disney-made materials no less, on more than one occasion. When you combine that with the fact she’s one of my favorite villains of all time, I think I’m justified in giving her some inclusion. While Morgan le Fay is arguably the archetypal “wretched yet beautiful sorceress” figure (and Morgan, herself, has some fairy-based origins, I should add, at least in some versions), Maleficent is the character I most quickly think about when I consider the same character type. She is regal, grandiose, and refined, yet has monstrous power and an even more monstrous temperament. As an apparent entity of evil, she seems unable to find real joy in life except when she’s causing trouble for other people, and she takes her work VERY seriously. Since her debut, she has become one of Disney’s most noteworthy villains; in many spin-off materials, such as “Kingdom Keepers” and “Kingdom Hearts,” she is depicted as a leading member of the Disney Villains, and she is consistently treated as one of the most powerful and dangerous even in her most silly reinventions. How much she really counts as a “witch” can be debated till the dragons come home, but in my books, I feel she’s worthy enough to not only make the cut, but place VERY highly.

1. The Wicked Witch of the West, from The Wizard of Oz.

While Maleficent may be one of my favorite villains of all time, let’s face it: when you think of the phrase “Wicked Witch” - or, heck, probably even if you just think of the word “Witch” on its own terms - chances are high the first image that comes to your mind is this character. In the original L. Frank Baum “Oz” books, however, the Wicked Witch of the West is a relatively minor villainess: she’s just one of the many obstacles on Dorothy’s journey in the original story, and while she is arguably the most dangerous and iconic, she’s not the antagonist of the entire novel. In fact, after her infamous melting, she kind of just disappears from the series: she was an evildoer who came and went, nothing more. It was the advent of the 1939 Technicolor movie, which starred Margaret Hamilton in the role of the Wicked Witch, that made the character so popular. Much like Bela Lugosi’s Dracula or Boris Karloff’s Frankestein Monster, I feel that Hamilton’s Witch is sometimes overlooked for how EXCELLENT the performance really is; while not at all subtle, she isn’t treated like a joke in the original movie, she’s treated as a legitimate threat, and Hamilton does a great job at making her one. The popularity of the musical “Wicked” - loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name - I think has both bolstered and yet overshadowed Hamilton’s superb spellbinder: as much as I love Elphaba, I think people often forget or underestimate the true power of the original, TRUE Witch from the movie as a result. Other versions of the character have come and gone since, as well, but it’s this version that has remained immortal and the most influential. I see no reason not to name Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West as my favorite - and the definitive - Wicked Witch.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Mother Gothel, from Tangled. (Full disclosure, ALL of the HMs are related to Disney. Weird.)

Magica DeSpell, from DuckTales. (Both versions of her are great; very nearly made the cut.)

Mad Madam Mim, from The Sword in the Stone. (Relatively small role, but very fun.)

The Witches of Morva, from The Chronicles of Prydain. (They’re less wicked in the books than in the Disney film, “The Black Cauldron,” but I think they still fit.)

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